BA, 1996, Lewis and Clark CollegePhD, 2004, University of California, Davis; Graduate Group in Ecology

ACADEMIC & RESEARCH INTEREST

I am interested in the population biology of plants. I work on local adaptation and rapid evolution of native and invasive species, and am interested in how genetic variation (below the species level) affects the distribution and abundance of species. I also work with plant-animal interactions, and am currently interested in how nutrients and herbivory interact to affect competitive relationships between plants.

In addition to my work on plant population biology, I do projects that gather basic ecological data about rare species, natural communities, and invasive species control, providing information that is necessary to make appropriate management and restoration decisions.

Baughman, O., Meyer, S., Aanderud, Z., Leger, E. A.2016,
Cheatgrass die-offs as an opportunity for restoration in the Great Basin, USA: Will Local or Commercial Native Plants Succeed Where Exotic Invaders Fail? Cheatgrass Die-offs as an Opportunity for Restoration in the Great Basin, USA.,
Journal of Arid Environments, 124, 193-204

Uselman, S., Leger, E. A., Snyder, K., Duke, S.2015,
Emergence and early survival of early versus late seral species in Great Basin restoration in two different soil types.,
Applied Vegetation Science, 18(4), 624-636.

Leger, E. A., Baughman, O.2015,
What Seeds to Plant in the Great Basin? Comparing Traits Prioritized in Native Plant Cultivars and Releases with Those That Promote Survival in the Field.,
Natural Areas Journal, 35(1), 54-68.

Leger, E. A., Espeland, E. K.2010,
The shifting balance of facilitation and competition affects the outcome of intra- and interspecific interactions over the life history of California grassland annuals.,
Plant Ecology, 208(2), 333-345.

Leger, E. A.2008,
The adaptive value of remnant native plants in invaded communities: an example from the Great Basin.,
Ecological Applications, 18, 1226-1235.

Leger, E.A. and K.J. Rice.2007,
Assessing the speed and predictability of evolution in an invasive species: a comparison of traits between native and invasive California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) across similar geographic gradients.,
Journal of Evolutionary Biology 20: 1090-1103